All the Beirut news.

Au nom de la lutte contre le terrorisme, nombre de pays ont déployé des systèmes d’écoute, en dehors de tout contrôle judiciaire. Le réseau Echelon, le plus célèbre d’entre eux, associe notamment les Etats-Unis et le Royaume-Uni. Ignorée jusqu’ici, la base israélienne d’Ourim est l’une des plus grosses stations d’espionnage du monde. Par Nicky Hager [...]

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i'm loving Sade - By your side [remixed by the Neptunes]

Conflicting statements have emerged over whether the remains of a 2,000-year-old Parthian fortress known as Tappeh Dokhtar, or the "Virgin's Mound," dating from Iran's pre-Islamic past were recently demolished in the Iranian city of Hamadan to make room for a mosalla, a Muslim prayer center often used by hard-line supporters of the government.

Ok, I need to get this off my chest.
Ad agencies (with social media departments) are popping like mushroom in the region. Competition is healthy, don’t get me wrong but few are getting it right. That’s not the issue though.

I’ve been asked quite some few times to review sites, products, places, devices. The agencies/individuals/companies sometimes give me the green light to post it online or share my opinion for the public some times and others want it to remain private.
Now, what’s really bothering me. I heard a few times between bloggers that X agency is inviting us to these places or whatsoever so that we review it and give a positive one about the whole experience.

I had a few emails and DMs asking me to post something. I am touched by the 1 email and 2 dms. My fan base rules.

Seriously though, I am in between jobs, things are quite hectic and I might be making the biggest leap of my life. I will try to squeeze in some posts every now and then.
Till then, stay safe and cheers! if you are looking for UX materials check the links, if you want some sarcasm and weird humor, check Cracked

Just yesterday it was reported that Lebanese in Sierra Leone are lobbying to become citizens of the west African country. However today, Samir Hassanyeh, who is (apparently) the president of the Lebanese community in Sierre Leone has denied the claims and has gone far enough to denounce Nasser Ayoub:

Petit interlude pour un film fait par Alexandre Monnier et un ami Elie Khalifé: Yanoosak dont le lancement s’effectuera le 21 octobre prochain dans le circuit Planète. Vous pouvez déjà découvrir le trailer

“The first and only showroom in the Levant is scheduled to open in Beirut on September 24, ahead of Lebanon’s second annual HOG tour” from October 1 to 3, said Marwan Tarraf, general manager of Bikers Inc., the current Harley Davidson dealership in Lebanon. [Source]
It is going to open in Hamra next to the Central Bank.

وصف أمين سر حركة التجدد الديمقراطي أنطوان حداد المعادلة الحالية في لبنان بأنها “وضعية تعايش تحت سقف واحد بين التهدئة والتصعيد، اي انها في نقطة وسط بين افرازات أحداث 7 أيار وافرازات التقارب السعودي-السوري.” واعتبر حداد في حديث صحافي “أن منطق 7 أيار يشد البلد في اتجاه ومنطق التقارب السوري-السعودي بشده في اتجاه معاكس”، مستبعداً “اتضاح الصورة النهائية قبل أن يتحدد الموقع والموقف النهائي لسوريا ضمن معادلة المنطقة”، ومضيفا انه “بانتظار ذلك فإن اللبنانيين محكومون بأن يتعايشوا مع هذا التعايش الهش بين التهدئة والتصعيد”.

لا يحتاج الوضع اللبناني المحتقن بيومياته المأزومة الى مقاربات “مترفة” مثل التوقف لوهلة سريعة عند حال الديموقراطية اللبنانية التعيسة. فهذا الوضع المنهك بالعدّ العكسي لشر مستطير يطيح ببقايا الامن والاستقرار يدفع ببقايا ديموقراطيته المتآكلة الى اسفل الدرك ويكاد يطمس تماماً كل صوت صارخ في برية التحذير من انهيار الديموقراطية العليلة.
ومع ذلك، لا بد من اطلالة ولو لتذكير من بقيت لديهم بقايا نبض بخطورة ما يصيب النظام والمعايير الديموقراطية، ولو بأدنى مستوياتها، من ضربات وجودية ومصيرية حقيقية وجادة.

Remember my post a couple of months ago, about how the Lebanese health ministry isn’t doing enough to raise awareness about the harmful effects of first hand and second hand smoke?  Well, the post came to mind when I came across this pack of cigarettes that my friend from Egypt was smoking from.  Obviously, he [...]

Last week after the Burj Abi Haydar bash, it was reported that the warring allies found a man with 2 shoulders to cry on in Damascus. Then yesterday, as reported in Al Akhbar, the same man met with a head of one of the local quasi-spy agencies and with a snap of a finger calmed the tense political scene. This story can be corroborated by the sudden change in the SMS dispatches and a certain

"There's no justice for the living whose martyrs still suffer unfairness" (or something close to it) this is the latest ad for the Lebanese Forces to commemorate their annual mass for the martyrs of the "Lebanese Resistance" (note that they are trying to highjack the term from Hizbullah)... I truly feel the headline is punchy, smart and very emotional. My main problem lies elsewhere - how come did the Lebanese Forces appropriate all these martyrs?